SAP FICO Consultant vs SAP FICO Developer: Skills and Responsibilities

It is essential to understand the variations even if it is just a little bit when it comes to the job profiles of professionals working in the same field. Products, systems and applications of SAP are quite popular in the present world. To get full use of this software suit, a business must know the difference in the roles between each job title and recruit people accordingly. SAP FICO Consultant vs SAP FICO Developer is such a case where they are often confused to be the same. But they are different roles with different roles, require different skill sets and different end goals. Let us conduct an SAP FICO Consultant vs SAP FICO Developer comparison to learn more about the differences and similarities between them.

Technical Aspect: SAP FICO Consultant vs SAP FICO Developer

First, we can look into the technical aspects of the job profile of SAP FICO Consultant vs SAP FICO Developer.

Technical Aspect of SAP FICO Developer’s Job

An SAP FICO developer is a technological craftsman. The job of an SAP FICO Developer is mainly focused on the technical aspects of a project. They manage the finance and control-related modules while working with SAP FICO. Their expertise is in the areas such as:

• Coding
• software development
• Knowledge of technical infrastructure of SAP systems

Technical Aspect of SAP FICO Consultant’s Job

An SAP FICO Consultant is a strategic navigator rather than a creator. They work with the functional aspects of the modules of the SAP FICO. They specialise in:

• business processes
• financial operations
• alignment of SAP functionalities with the organizational goals.

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Responsibilities and Roles: SAP FICO Consultant vs SAP FICO Developer

Now we will look into the roles and responsibilities of SAP FICO Consultant vs SAP FICO Developer in this section to understand how different their job profiles are.

Responsibilities and Roles of SAP FICO Developer

The duties of an SAP FICO are as given below.

• Customisation of the SAP FICO modules according to the needs of their employer firm.
• Development of new functionalities to meet the needs of the business.
• troubleshooting for issues.
• Back-end bug fixes.
• Ensuring the smooth operation of the software.
• Execution of the system integration i.e. integrating the FICO modules with the rest of the SAP modules as well as external systems.

Technical Responsibilities and Roles of SAP FICO Consultant

The technical duties of the SAP FICO Consultant are mainly involved with project implementation. The technical responsibilities and roles of SAP FICO consultants are as described below.

• Transference of external know-how to the client is an important duty of SAP FICO Consultant. They have a huge say in this end-to-end implementation.
• They also have a big role to play in the design of the business process. The firm’s management expects an SAP FICO consultant to have a good understanding of their current business process. SAP FICO Consultant is also responsible for the design of the present business flows. They also have to study the complications of the present business design. All in all, we can say that they are responsible for the present business process.
• SAP FICO Consultants have to document all the configurations according to the categories in the form of predefined templates. Then these documents have to be approved by the managers and team leads.
• GAP analysis and mapping for each module should be done by the SAP FICO Consultant. Sometimes they also have thew prepare the test scripts which are used to test several configuration scenarios.
• The end user manual is prepared by the SAP FICO Consultants. They also prepare the user training.
• The SAP FICO Consultant formally sets the predefined data of a project such as the size of the team, members of the team, responsibilities, reporting system, methodology, duties, schedules, dates and working hours.

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Non-Technical Responsibilities of SAP FICO Consultant

Unlike the developers, SAP FICO Consultants have some non-technical duties also. Their duty is not only to configure the system with the SAP ERP Financials. They make them work efficiently and ensure that they are used by the users comfortably. Some of the non-technical responsibilities of an SAP FICO Consultant are listed below.

• All the financial settings are documented by the SAP FICO Consultants. They also have to prepare guidelines that guide other consultants to make necessary changes if needed.
• SAP FICO Consultants ensure that the business flow is correct and complete.
• Once the go-live is completed, an SAP FICO Consultant has to ensure that the system is usable and the performance is satisfactory and consistent in real-life situations. If there are any corrections then the SAP FICO Consultant has to suggest enhancements.
• They conduct the configuration of certain business areas and ensure that the system reacts in the manner that is expected of it.
• An SAP FICO Consultant has to help the technical staff during the going live time by testing the behaviour of the system.

Skill Set Required: SAP FICO Consultant vs SAP FICO Developer

Every company have its prerequisites about the skill set an individual should have to be considered as a potential candidate for a particular job title. In the case of SAP FICO Consultant vs SAP FICO Developer also it works the same. Let us look into the required skill set to be an SAP FICO Consultant or an SAP FICO Developer.

Skill Set Required to Become SAP FICO Consultant

The skills required to become an SAP FICO Consultant are provided below.

• Good knowledge of the financial processes
• Good analytical skills
• Proficient in SAP FICO configuration
• Good communication skills
• Industry knowledge

Skill Set Required to Become SAP FICO Developer

The skills required to become an SAP FICO Developer are provided below.

• Proficient in programming languages especially ones like Advanced Business Application Programming.
• Good knowledge of databases.
• Expertise in software development.

SAP FICO Consultant vs SAP FICO Developer: End Goals of Each Profession

In conclusion, we can say that an SAP FICO developer is mainly concerned with the technical aspects of a project and coding while an SAP FICO Consultant is more focused on the functional aspect of the project as well as the business processes. When it comes to knowledge and skills, an SAP FICO Developer need strong programming knowledge and technical skills while an SAP FICO Consultant needs to have good financial knowledge and analytical skills. So, the end goal of each of these professions can be stated as follows. The goal of an SAP FICO Developer is the building and maintenance of robust systems while that of an SAP FICO Consultant is to maximise the efficiency of the system and bring it to alignment with the firm’s business strategies.

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